Missing Mother
by Elsadisney
Summary: Rapunzel knows she shouldn't miss Mother Gothel, but she does, terribly. Will she ever get her mother back?
1. I'll Always Be Here

_Rapunzel, eight years old, was crying._

" _Oh, for heavens sakes, stop that whining!" complained her mother. "How do you expect me to stay up here and keep you company when all you do is cry, cry, cry?"_

 _Rapunzel stuck out her bottom lip. "But Mommy, I'm sad!"_

 _Mother Gothel looked at her. "Why are you sad? There's no reason to be. I just bought you paints last week!"_

 _Rapunzel walked over to her mother. "I can't find Sunflower!"_

" _What? Who is Sunflower?" asked Mother Gothel._

" _My butterfly!" Rapunzel cried._

 _Mother Gothel's eyebrows rose. "What butterfly?"_

 _Rapunzel suddenly realized that she might be in trouble. Sunflower had flown into the tower one day while Mother was away, and Rapunzel had hidden the butterfly from her mother. She didn't know if she was allowed to have a pet, and she was now worried what Mother would say._

" _I'm sorry," Rapunzel said. "It flew in one day and I didn't show you because I thought you would be mad."_

 _Mother Gothel smiled. "I'm not mad," she said. "But if anything else comes into the tower, you need to tell me right away."_

 _Rapunzel was relieved. She climbed into Mother Gothel's lap. "I will," she said._

 _Mother Gothel stroked her hair. "Good Flower."_

 _Rapunzel smiled. But then she remembered that her pet was still missing. "What are we going to do about Sunflower?" she asked, bursting into tears again._

" _Oh, Rapunzel," said Mother Gothel. "Sometimes… someone or something we love won't be there one day, and they might not come back. We just have to move on, and not dwell on the past."_

 _Rapunzel frowned. "Does that mean I won't find Sunflower?"_

 _Mother Gothel wrapped her arms around Rapunzel. "You probably won't," she said._

 _Rapunzel began to cry harder. She thought about what her mother had said. Suddenly a thought sprang to her mind. "Mother?" she said, looking up at Mother Gothel with tearful eyes._

" _Yes, Flower?" answered Mother._

" _Will you ever go away forever?" asked Rapunzel._

 _Mother Gothel held Rapunzel more tightly. "No, Flower. I'll always be here to comfort you. I can't live without you, you know."_

 _Rapunzel nodded and closed her eyes, comfortable in her mother's lap._

Rapunzel was laying on her bed, tears streaming down her face. She touched her short brown hair. "But you aren't here when I need you most," she whispered.

Memories were hard. Most of Rapunzel's childhood memories were with Gothel. She knew Gothel wasn't her real mother now, and that she had done a terrible thing. But she had been her mother for eighteen years, and Rapunzel missed her terribly.

Pascal made a sound, and Rapunzel stroked his head. "I know, I shouldn't miss her," she said. "But I do."

The brown-haired princess burst into tears again, wishing Mother Gothel could comfort her as she had so many times before when she was sad. But that would never happen again. That realization made her cry even harder, and she wrapped her arms around her legs.

* * *

The queen entered Rapunzel's room, and was surprised to see her crying. "What's wrong, my dear?" she asked.

"I'm… sad," said Rapunzel. She didn't want to say why. She knew her real mother didn't like it when Rapunzel thought about Mother Gothel.

The queen sat down beside Rapunzel. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Rapunzel shook her head and buried her face in her dress.

"That's okay," said the queen. She put an arm around Rapunzel. Rapunzel didn't respond, and they sat there silently until the queen said, "I love you."

"I love you more," Rapunzel said automatically.

The queen kissed Rapunzel on the forehead, then said, "I'll leave you alone." She left the room and closed the door.

Rapunzel frowned, and a few tears rolled out of her eyes. _She didn_ _'_ _t finish it_ , thought the princess. Rapunzel hugged her arms. Her real mother loved her, and she loved her real mother more, but… A sob shook Rapunzel's body. The one who loved her _most_ , the one who had cared for her since she was a baby, wasn't there anymore. And she wouldn't ever be there again.


	2. You Are Just Rapunzel

_Ten-year-old Rapunzel was reading again. All she did now was read, it seemed. Mother was away a lot more now, but whenever she came back, she would bring a book for Rapunzel, which she read when Mother left again. This story was about a princess. The princess was beautiful, and she had a lovely dress and brothers and sisters. A handsome prince wanted to marry her._

" _Rapunzel! Let down your hair!" called a voice from outside._

 _Rapunzel dropped the book and raced to the window. Mother was home! Rapunzel quickly hung her hair on the hook and threw it down._

 _Mother Gothel stepped into the loop at the bottom, and Rapunzel pulled her up. Soon, Mother reached the top, and she climbed in the window._

" _What have you been up to while I was away?" asked Mother Gothel._

" _Reading," said Rapunzel._

 _Mother Gothel looked in the mirror, then sat down on a chair. "Mother's feeling a little tired," she said._

 _Rapunzel smiled. "Flower, gleam and glow..." she sang._

 _Mother Gothel brushed her hair, which had grown very long. When she was done, she smiled. "Thank you, Flower."_

 _Rapunzel grinned. Then she said, "I have a question."_

" _What's your question?" Mother asked._

" _What is a princess?" asked Rapunzel._

 _Mother Gothel dropped the hairbrush she had been holding. "Where do you get that question?" she asked._

" _Well, I was reading a book about a princess," said Rapunzel._

 _Mother Gothel seemed to relax. "A princess," she explained, "is a girl whose mother and father are the king and queen."_

" _What's a king and queen?" the curious child wondered._

 _Mother Gothel smiled. "A king and queen are two people who take care of their kingdom."_

" _Am I a princess?" Rapunzel asked._

 _For a split second, Mother Gothel's face looked absolutely terrified. But the expression disappeared, and Rapunzel wondered if she had only imagined it._

" _No, Flower," said Mother. "You are just Rapunzel. But I love you."_

" _I love you more," responded Rapunzel._

" _I love you most," Mother Gothel said, pulling Rapunzel into her arms. Rapunzel closed her eyes, smiling as Mother stroked her hair._

Rapunzel was hugging a mannequin that was in her room. She opened her eyes, and the memory became just a memory again. She tried to stroke her own hair, but there wasn't enough to stroke it like Mother had. Her eyes became watery, and tears threatened to fall. She sucked air in through her nose and composed herself. She didn't want to cry, not today.

Mother had lied, she knew that. Rapunzel was a princess. But… being a princess, it wasn't at all how Rapunzel had imagined. The pretty dresses she had loved seeing were actually pretty uncomfortable. And… she had never imagined being a princess without Mother.

Rapunzel sucked in a breath again. She was determined not to cry.

It would be easier if Mother was still alive, Rapunzel knew that. It would be different, she wouldn't be her mother anymore, but… at least Mother would be alive.

"I miss you most," whispered Rapunzel.

In that moment, she knew she had to do something. She opened her box of paints and took out the red. She pulled out the paintbrush and dipped it in before looking around the room. Her eyes fell upon the large curtain on the wall behind her bed. There was a wall behind it, and she was going to paint it.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Rapunzel quickly slammed the box of paints shut. What she had been about to do, she was sure the king and queen would not approve of.

"Hello, Rapunzel," she heard her father say.

Rapunzel put on a smile, though she didn't feel like smiling.

"What are you doing?" asked the king.

"Just thinking," replied Rapunzel.

The king smiled. "Ah. Rapunzel, always thinking."

"Do you have a question?" asked Rapunzel. She inwardly cringed. She had spoken too harshly. She hadn't meant to, but her feelings were going so crazy it had just slipped out.

The king raised his eyebrows. "Feeling sad?"

Rapunzel nodded.

"I'll leave you alone," the king replied. He left the room and shut the door quietly.

The tears came. She couldn't stop them anymore. Why did it have to be so hard without Mother? She closed her eyes. In the books she had read so often as a child, wishes could be granted. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I wish I was back in the tower with Mother," she whispered. Her eyes stayed closed for a long time, and when she finally opened them, she was disappointed to see that she was still in her room in the castle.


	3. I Love You Most

_Rapunzel, almost twelve now, was painting in Mother Gothel's room. She had wanted to do something special for Mother's birthday, which was coming up soon, for a long time. Today, Mother would be gone for almost the whole day, and that gave Rapunzel a chance to paint._

 _She knew her mother didn't exactly approve of her going into Mother's room, but since this was for something special, she hoped she wouldn't be in trouble this time._

 _She carefully pulled the paintbrush out of the red paint. After a few delicate strokes, the red dress was done. She mixed some paints to make a lovely peach color, and painted a head connected to the dress. Then she dipped the brush into the black paint and painted hair onto the head. Now she was finished. But there was something missing. What was it? She had painted Mother. Ah, that was it. She dipped the paintbrush into the purple paint. Mother was always by Rapunzel's side. It wouldn't be right just to paint Mother._

 _After painting the long yellow locks onto the new painting of herself, she stood back and surveyed the picture. No, that wasn_ _'_ _t quite right. Her hair wasn_ _'_ _t long enough. After a moment_ _'_ _s_ _consideration, Rapunzel decided to paint a long line of yellow all around the room. She started from the bottom of the painted hair, then walked along the edge of the room, painting, until she had reached the other side of her painted self. There, that was perfect, and tomorrow was Mother_ _'_ _s birthday. She put away her paints and left the room._

 _It was nearing dark when Mother called. Rapunzel raced to the window and pulled her up. Mother gave her a big hug._

" _How did you manage today all day without me?" asked Mother Gothel._

 _Rapunzel smiled. "I managed," she said._

 _Mother asked Rapunzel to sing, and she did. Afterwards, Mother Gothel said it was getting late, and that they should get to bed._

 _Rapunzel nodded, and went to her room. Since it was dark, she hoped Mother wouldn_ _'_ _t see her surprise._ _It was hard to sleep that night, but Rapunzel finally_ _was able to fall asleep._

 _The next morning, Rapunzel woke up at seven. She began baking a pie, then put together a puzzle while she waited._ _Soon the pie was finished, and Rapunzel set it on the table to cool. She finished the puzzle, then heard her mother._

" _Rapunzel, what is this on the wall?" her mother called._

 _R_ _apunzel ran to her mother_ _'_ _s room. "Happy birthday, Mother," she said._

" _Did you paint this?" asked Mother Gothel._

 _Rapunzel nodded. "I did it yesterday while you were away. Do you like it?"_

 _Mother Gothel smiled. "I do like it," she said. "Thank you, Flower."_

 _Rapunzel was beaming._

" _You are the sweetest thing," Mother Gothel said. "I love you."_

" _I love you more," Rapunzel replied._

" _I love you most," Mother Gothel said, pulling her close._

"Happy birthday, Mother," Rapunzel whispered. She was kneeling on her bed, looking at the painting she had finished. She had pulled back the curtain and had painted a picture of Mother Gothel and herself with the long blonde hair she used to have. Her painting skills had improved since she was eleven, and she was surprised at how realistic the picture looked. She could almost imagine the painting coming to life. Oh, how she wished it could.

It was Mother's birthday today, Rapunzel hadn't forgotten. She would never forget. Tears came to her eyes again. She would always remember Mother's birthday, but she would never celebrate it with Mother again.

She heard the doorknob turn and quickly shut the curtain, then sat down on the bed before the door opened and the queen walked in.

"Rapunzel, there you are," the queen said.

Rapunzel looked at the queen. She squinted her eyes and could almost imagine the red dress, the black hair. Tears began to come to her eyes.

"Are you okay?" asked the queen.

The illusion was shattered. Rapunzel put her head in her hands. The queen sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" asked the queen.

Rapunzel shook her head.

"Rapunzel, you're sadder today than usual," the queen pressed. "What's wrong, tell me."

Rapunzel was trapped. She didn't want the queen to know about Mother Gothel's birthday, but she had to tell her.

"It's Mother's birthday," Rapunzel said quietly.

"Oh," the queen said. After a moment, she said, "I wish you wouldn't call her that."

Rapunzel frowned.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked the queen.

Rapunzel shook her head.

They sat there in silence. After a long time, the queen sighed and said, "I hope you know I love you."

"I love you more," replied Rapunzel.

The queen stood up. She kissed the top of Rapunzel's forehead, then left the room.

It wasn't finished. Rapunzel wished the queen would say the last part, but until then, the only one who loved her most… was gone.

After a while, Rapunzel tearfully said, "Who loves me most now?"

She hugged herself, crying, and tried to recreate the warmth she had felt so many times before in the embrace of Mother Gothel.


	4. Hazelnut Soup

_Rapunzel got up from her bed and went downstairs. It was seven AM, her usual waking time. Today didn't seem too special. Rapunzel began her usual morning lineup._

 _Suddenly, Rapunzel stopped. It had been exactly a year since her last birthday. Today she was fifteen years old!_

" _It's my birthday, Pascal!" Rapunzel told the chameleon. "Today the floating lights will appear! And I wonder if Mother will let me go outside to see them?"_

 _Pascal shook his head._

" _You're right, she probably won't," Rapunzel said. "But there's no harm in asking, is there?"_

 _Just then, a call came from outside. "Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"_

" _Mother's home!" cried Rapunzel. She raced to the window. After throwing her hair down and letting her mother climb up, she said, "Do you know what today is?"_

" _Hmm, well, I don't know… what is today?" asked Mother Gothel. She looked in the mirror. "Flower, Mother's feeling a little tired."_

" _Oh, of course," Rapunzel said, pulling the stool over to the chair Mother always sat in. She waited for Mother to get the hairbrush, then sat down on the stool._

 _Mother took Rapunzel's hair and began to brush it while Rapunzel sang her magic song. Rapunzel loved it when Mother brushed her hair. Of course, every day Rapunzel would brush her own hair, but it felt so much nicer when someone else did it for her._

 _Rapunzel was at the end of the song. "Thank you, Flower," said Mother. She put away the hairbrush, then asked, "Why do you want me to know what today is?"_

" _Well," said Rapunzel, "It's my birthday today..."_

" _Your birthday?" Mother Gothel interrupted. "No, it can't be your birthday. I distinctly remember your birthday being last year."_

 _Rapunzel laughed. Mother had said that every year for as long as she could remember. "That's the thing about birthdays," Rapunzel said. "They happen every year."_

" _I know," said Mother. "I was just teasing. I didn't forget your birthday either. I got everything I needed for hazelnut soup while I was away."_

" _Thank you, Mother!" cried Rapunzel, giving her a hug._

 _Mother smiled and began walking to the kitchen._

 _Pascal crept out from behind Rapunzel's hair. He made a face and pointed to Mother Gothel._

" _Don't worry, I'm going to ask her," Rapunzel whispered. Pascal hid again as Rapunzel walked up to Mother._

" _If it isn't too much to ask..." began Rapunzel._

 _Mother turned around. "What is it, Rapunzel? Do you want something?"_

" _Well, yes," said Rapunzel. "I was wondering, if, um, maybe..."_

 _Mother Gothel frowned. "Please stop the mumbling, Rapunzel, you know how I hate the mumbling."_

" _I'm sorry," Rapunzel apologized. She took a deep breath. "I want to see the floating lights," she said._

" _What floating lights?" asked Mother._

" _The ones that come out on my birthday each year," Rapunzel said._

" _Oh, those floating lights," said Mother. "The stars."_

" _I'm not sure if they're stars, Mother," Rapunzel said. "They only come out on my birthday."_

" _Maybe they are special stars, then," Mother said. "But you see them every year, Flower. Why do you need to ask me?"_

" _Well, I want to go outside and watch them," Rapunzel said quickly. "I'm sure I would be able to see them better from outside."_

 _Mother Gothel's expression had changed as soon as Rapunzel had said the word "outside". She said, "Rapunzel, you know I can't let you go outside. It's dangerous, remember?"_

" _Yes, Mother," Rapunzel said with a frown._

 _Mother Gothel smiled. "Cheer up, Rapunzel," she said. "If you want, I'll watch the stars with you tonight."_

 _Rapunzel smiled, not minding that Mother had called them stars. "You would? Oh, thank you, Mother!"_

 _Mother held out her arms and they shared a hug._

 _While Mother made the hazelnut soup, Rapunzel continued on her usual morning lineup. When she had finally finished, she brushed her hair and went to the kitchen._

" _It's almost ready," said Mother Gothel when Rapunzel entered. "Just a few more minutes."_

 _Rapunzel smiled and sat down, nearly bursting with anticipation. Hazelnut soup was her favorite, and Mother always made it for her on her birthday._

 _The soup was ready, and Mother took it to the table. Rapunzel sat down in her usual place, and Mother sat in hers. Mother had placed a bowl at each spot, and Rapunzel ate happily._

" _Thank you, Mother," Rapunzel said after she had finished the bowl. "Hazelnut soup is my favorite!"_

" _I know," said Mother. "That's why I made it."_

 _Rapunzel stood up and walked over to her mother. Mother stood up too, and they hugged._

" _I love you," said Mother Gothel._

" _I love you more," Rapunzel replied._

" _I love you most," said Mother, stroking Rapunzel's hair._

 _That evening, after the sun went down, Mother and Rapunzel sat at the window. The lights began to appear in the distance, and Rapunzel sighed happily. It was such a beautiful sight. She laid her head on Mother Gothel's shoulder, and after a minute, Mother put her arm around Rapunzel._

 _They stayed like that for a long time, watching the lights. Rapunzel fell asleep after a while, and Mother continued watching the lights with Rapunzel sleeping by her side._

 _The next day, when Rapunzel woke up, she found herself tucked in bed._

Rapunzel awoke. She'd dreamed about her fifteenth birthday. She looked around, and saw with dismay that she was in her room in the castle.

Her first thought was to brush her hair, then remembered. She touched the ends of her short brown hair. Her hair was so short, it didn'tneed brushing. She missed the feeling of the hairbrush running through her long hair as she sang for Mother.

Rapunzel took a hairbrush anyways. She brushed through her short hair in one movement, and did it again and again. "Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine," she sang. Tears came to her eyes when she sang the next verse. "Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine." A tear fell onto her nightdress as she continued. "Heal what has been hurt, change the fates design." More tears fell. "Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine." Her voice choked up. "What once… was… mine."

Rapunzel collapsed into tears. No, it wasn't the same. The same motion over and over on her short hair was not at all like brushing the long, blonde locks she had once had. And singing the song had reminded her of Mother. She had also, for once, paid attention to the words instead of just singing without thinking. If only she could turn back the clock and bring Mother back.

A thought sprang to her mind. Today was her birthday. The thought brought her no happiness. A birthday without Mother.

A knock on the door brought her to reality. The door swung open, and in walked the queen.

"It's my birthday today," said Rapunzel.

The queen smiled. "I know! We're going to release the lanterns, I know how much you love them."

Rapunzel frowned. "But wasn't my birthday last year?" she asked hesitantly.

The queen looked at her with a confused look. "Of course you had a birthday last year," she said. "Don't you remember? That's when we finally found you." She looked happy. "Just think, we've had you back for an entire year."

Of course Rapunzel remembered. It had been a happy reunion with her long lost family, but soon after, she had found herself missing Mother. And she remembered the worst part, the part she tried not to think about. It had also been the day Mother died.

Rapunzel could still see Mother, old and white, pulling the cloak over her face to hide it from Rapunzel. She could still see Pascal pulling the brown hair, Mother tripping, Mother falling out the window. It was the most terrible moment of Rapunzel's life, and she hated thinking back to it.

She knew she was partly to blame for Mother's death. If she hadn't tried to heal Eugene, he wouldn't have cut her hair, and Mother wouldn't have died. She wished she would at least not have been angry at Mother when she died. She wished she had caught Mother before she fell. She wished…

She wished a lot of things. But her wishes wouldn't come true.

"Do you want to do anything else for your birthday?" asked the queen, breaking Rapunzel out of her thoughts.

Rapunzel shook her head. That was it, then. No _I distinctly remember, your birthday was last year._ She knew she shouldn't expect her real mother to be like Mother Gothel, shouldn't expect her to know what Rapunzel needed to hear. But she just couldn't stop expecting.

The princess put on a fake smile and stood up. She hoped her real mother wouldn't say _I love you_ , because Rapunzel knew after _I love you more_ , there wouldn't be _I love you most_. Rapunzel walked out of her room and went to the kitchens.

"What are you making?" she asked the head chef.

"Happy birthday, Princess Rapunzel," the chef replied. "We are making a big cake to celebrate your birthday, I hope you will like it."

Rapunzel kept the fake smile, but inside she was frowning. She didn't want a cake, all she wanted was… hazelnut soup.

"Would you be able to make… hazelnut soup?" Rapunzel asked tentatively.

The chef looked at her with a strange look. "I don't know how to make that," he said. "I've never heard of it."

Rapunzel frowned. "Oh," she said. "Well..." She stopped. She didn't know how to make it either. Mother had never taught her. Rapunzel, who had assumed Mother would be there forever, had never asked to learn how.

"I need to go," said Rapunzel. She ran to her room, which was empty now, and let the tears fall.

The hair was what kept Mother alive. It would have kept Rapunzel alive too, had it not been cut off. They could have very well kept on living together forever.

Oh, why had she acted the way she did? Mother had loved her, clothed her, fed her, and she'd thrown it all away. She realized she knew barely anything about Mother. How could she go on without knowing how to cook any of the meals Mother had made her? What if Mother had family? She would never know, just because she hadn't ever bothered to ask. All she had bothered to ask about were the lights.

Rapunzel had cried herself dry. She had no more tears left. She decided to leave her room again.

The birthday dinner they had made for her was lovely, delicious even, but there was no hazelnut soup. Afterwards, Rapunzel went up to her room and pulled back the curtain on the wall above the bed, revealing the painting she had made of Mother Gothel and Rapunzel.

"Mother, what do I do?" asked Rapunzel. "It's my first birthday without you. I feel so alone. Nobody understands me."

The painting just stared back, a lifeless, flat image of Mother. Rapunzel shook her head. It was only paint on the wall, how had she even thought for a minute that it would talk back?

"I love you," Rapunzel said.

Then she said, "I love you more."

"I love you most," Rapunzel finished.

Then she collapsed onto her bed, crying harder than ever.

Evening brought the floating lanterns. She stood with her parents, went through the motions of releasing the first lantern. The kingdom cheered, their princess was not lost anymore, but Rapunzel felt no happiness.

She sat in her room to watch the lanterns. Yes, they were beautiful, but they were just lanterns. Why had she thrown away her life with Mother just for some pretty-looking lights?

She had a sudden memory, clear in her mind, of sitting with Mother on her fifteenth birthday watching the lights appear in the sky. It really had been beautiful to watch them, far away, drift across the sky while the high mountains surrounding the valley the tower was in just stood there. And it had been even better with Mother there by her side.

Suddenly Rapunzel knew what she had to do. She sneaked out of the castle easily, since the guards were watching the light show, and began on foot to her tower. When she finally reached the vines covering the entrance, she pushed them aside and walked in.

The tower was just as she had left it a year ago. As she walked closer, she saw something at the bottom. Her heart tugged as she saw what it was. Mother Gothel's cloak, with a layer of dust inside. She knew it was not just an ordinary cloak cast aside. It was the one Mother had been wearing when she fell.

Curiously, Rapunzel touched it. She found it odd that there were no bones inside. Then she looked at the sky. The lanterns were floating there in the distance, as they had every year on her birthday.

Eugene's arrows were in the cracks between the stones of the tower. She pulled them out and began to climb the tower. It was very hard, and she nearly fell a few times, but she finally got to her window. She climbed in and looked around the room.

It was just as it had been when she left, aside from a layer of dust covering everything. She touched the long, long brown hair all over the floor that had been hers. Then she climbed the stairs to her room.

She saw all the paintings on the wall first. Each one reminded her of the time she had painted it. Then she looked down. There was her bed, covered with dust. She laid down on it, surprised at how familiar it still felt.

After she had finished looking around the tower, she went to the window. There were the lanterns, beginning to fade away. How she had wished to see them up close when she was younger. Now all she wanted was to go back to the time before she had.

Rapunzel turned around, looking back into the tower. Her real parents would be looking for her. She only hoped Eugene had forgotten where the tower was. She wanted to be alone. No, that was a lie. She wanted to be with Mother.

Rapunzel began crying silently. Tears fell from her eyes. She had hoped coming back would somehow make everything reset, go back to the way it had been. But being in the tower made her feel even sadder. She was back where she had wanted to be, but she would never have Mother Gothel back.

Maybe it was to comfort herself, or maybe it was for some other reason, but Rapunzel began singing her song. More tears fell as she sang, and a few more fell after she had finished the song. But she soon didn't feel sad anymore.

She imagined Mother Gothel saying, "I love you."

"I love you more," Rapunzel whispered.

And again, she heard in her mind, Mother saying, "I love you most."

 _She had fallen asleep in her bed in the tower. And her dream, unlike the memories that always made her sad, was of a happier future._

 _She saw a young girl, about four years old. She looked so much like Rapunzel, but there was also something else. She had long blonde hair that hung to her knees, and was wearing a purple dress._

" _Mommy," said the girl. "Why can't I go outside?"_

 _Rapunzel smiled. As she did, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair was short and brown._

" _Well, Flower," said Rapunzel, "outside is a sad, cruel place. It is better if you stay here with me."_

 _The little girl frowned. "But you don't know what it's like, not being able to go outside."_

" _I know what it's like," Rapunzel said. "My mother told me not to go outside when I was young."_

 _The girl asked, "Did you listen?"_

 _Rapunzel shook her head. "No, I didn't, Sunflower. And because I didn't, I never saw my mother again."_

" _Oh," said the little girl. "What happened?"_

 _Rapunzel sighed. "I wanted to see the lights."_

 _Sunflower, the little girl, asked, "The same lights that come out every year on your birthday?"_

" _Yes," responded Rapunzel. "I didn't obey my mother and I left the tower to see them, and because of that, she… was gone forever."_

" _Mommy?" asked the girl._

" _Yes, Sunflower?" Rapunzel said._

" _Will you ever leave forever?" Sunflower asked worriedly._

" _I hope I never do," Rapunzel said. "But if something happens and I'm not there, try to remember everything I teach you."_

" _Why?" wondered Sunflower._

" _Because it will be very important to you," replied Rapunzel. "Before my mother was gone, she never taught me how to make hazelnut soup, my favorite, because she never thought I would be without her. But since I don't know how to make it, I can never taste it again."_

 _Sunflower looked sad. "That's terrible!"_

" _Do you still want to leave the tower?" asked Rapunzel._

 _Sunflower shook her head. "No, Mommy, never!"_

" _Good," said Rapunzel._

 _Sunflower smiled. "Can I sing for you?"_

" _Yes, Flower," said Rapunzel._

 _Sunflower raced to the bedroom and got her hairbrush. Rapunzel smiled as she sat in the chair her mother had always sat in. Sunflower sat on the stool, and Rapunzel began brushing her hair._

" _Flower, gleam and glow," began Sunflower. Her hair began to glow, and Rapunzel brushed it. She loved the feeling of brushing Sunflower's hair, since she couldn't really brush her own._

 _Afterwards, Sunflower stood up. She seemed to be waiting for something. Then Rapunzel knew what it was. She outstretched her arms, and Sunflower jumped into them._

" _I love you," Rapunzel found herself saying._

" _I love you more," Sunflower said in her adorable voice._

" _I love you most," Rapunzel finished, kissing Sunflower on the top of the head and stroking her hair._

" _I hope I've made you proud, Mother," she whispered. "I hope I'm raising her just like you raised me."_

 _The pain and the empty place were still there. But they had lessened. Sunflower had partially filled the hole. Rapunzel held Sunflower tighter. Though she didn't have her mother, now she had her daughter._


End file.
